Alvamar Golf Club
Alvamar Golf Club was opened
for play May 15, 1968, with
the two original nines, Jayhawk
and Quail Creek, joined by the
Hidden Valley nine in 1973.
The Sunflower nine opened in
1978 and in 1982, the Hidden
Valley and Sunflower nines
became Alvamar Country Club.
Alvamar was named by
developer Bob Billings from the
contraction of the names of his
parents, Alva and Margaretta
Billings of Russell, Kan. In all,
Alvamar Golf Club and Country
Club encompasses more than
3,000 acres of west Lawrence.
The 36 holes at Alvamar were
designed by Mel Anderson and
Bob Dunning and include a
public and private clubhouse,
driving range and three practice
greens. The two courses at
Alvamar were the first in the United States to utilize zoysia grass for its fairways and tees. The course currently uses
cohansey bent green on both surfaces.
In 1991, Alvamar Country Club hosted the Kansas Amateur. Alvamar Golf Club annually hosts the Kansas Open
and has been the site of the United States Golf Associations Women’s Public Links tournament. It was the site of
the Big Eight Conference Men’s Championship for eight consecutive years, and in 1990, the Big Eight Conference

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2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

Alvamar Golf Club

Women’s Championship was held at Alvamar and won by the Jayhawks. Alvamar Golf Club hosted the inaugural
Big 12 Women’s Championship in 1997 and has been the site of the KU men’s Kansas Invitational and women’s
Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational.
Having been honored as one of the “best maintained golf courses in the United States” by Grounds Maintenance
Magazine, Alvamar continues to improve its attractive golf venue. At Alvamar Golf Club, the Director of Golf is
Dave Dunn, while Dick Stuntz serves as head professional at Alvamar Country Club.
Alvamar Country Club is considered one of the finest golf courses in the state. Alvamar’s reputation is one of the
reasons KU attracts some of the top golfers in the country.

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

5

Knapheide Family Practice Facility
The Kansas men’s golf program added a
new member to the Jayhawk family in
2008: the state-of-the-art Knapheide
Family Practice Facility.
The new practice facility comes
fitted with four heated hitting bays
to go along with cutting-edge swing
technology.
The bays are part of a climatecontrolled facility that allows the
Kansas golfers to hit balls out into the
driving range at Alvamar Golf Club.
“This will give us a great oppourtunity
to teach and grow as players during
the winter months,” head coach Kit
Grove said.
The facility is equipped with three

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2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

Knapheide Family Practice Facility
smaller bays in addition to the one
larger bay.
The larger bay is equipped with
a V1 video system, along with a
Trackman radar launch monitoring
system.
“We are priviledged to have such a
great facility with technology that
will help refine all of our players’
swings,” Grove said.
Each smaller bay is equipped to
provide two putting holes along
with mirror technology that
monitors the fundamentals of the
golfers.
Five different golfers can use the
radiant heated facility with three
golfers in each of the small bays,
along with two golfers utilizing the
larger bay at one time.

John Sinovic recorded six top10 finishes during his career,
highlighted by a win at the
1988 Kansas Invitational and
a second-place finish at the
Big Eight Tournament during
his junior campaign. Sinovic
finished 19th at the 1988
NCAA Championships. During his career Sinovic never
once finished outside of the top 25 at a tournament. He
was the first player in Jayhawk history to compete in the
prestigious Hancock-Sun Bowl College All-American
Golf Classic.

Matt Gogel
1993

Matt Gogel quickly made his
mark at Kansas, winning the
1991 Big Eight Conference
individual title as a freshman.
The talented player earned AllAmerica honors as a junior
in 1993. He earned all-Big
Eight Conference honors three
times in his career and posted three collegiate individual
titles. Gogel posted 18 top-10 finishes in his career
and boasted a 74.89 scoring average. He capped off his
1993 All-America season by tying for 34th at the NCAA
Championships.

8

Chris Thompson
1998, 1999

In 1999, Chris Thompson
became the first ever Jayhawk
to earn back-to-back AllAmerican honors. Thompson
led KU in scoring average
during his sophomore and
junior campaigns and received
All-American
recognition
for the first time following his junior campaign with
an average round of 72.70. Thompson then averaged
73.20 strokes per round in 1999 while winning the
Kansas Inviational and helping guide KU to the NCAA
Championship for the first time in three years.

Ryan Vermeer
1999, 2000

Ryan Vermeer led the Jayhawks
in scoring average in 1999 and
2000 with marks of 72.80 and
71.31, respectively. Vermeer’s
71.31 scoring average still
stands as the best individual
season in KU history. Vermeer
won a school-record seven
individual titles during his collegiate career, including
four during his senior campaign. Vermeer’s name also sits
at the top of the KU history books in best single-round
(63) and tournament score (202) since 1987.

Kris Marshall
2002, 2003

Kris Marshall was named
All-American in back-toback years in 2002 and 2003.
During his Jayhawk career,
Marshall recorded an amazing
17 top-10 finishes. Marshall
was also named to the All Big
12 teams in 2002 and 2003,
along with being named Big 12 Player of the Month in
October of 2002. During his senior campaign, Marshall
was the Jayhawks’ top finisher in 10 of 14 events. Marshall
was also named Academic All-Big 12 in 2001.

To be eligible for Cleveland Golf/Srixon GCAA
All-America Scholar status an individual must
be a junior or senior academically, compete in
at least two full years at the collegiate level and
participate in at least 70 percent of his teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
competitive rounds or compete in the NCAA
Championships. The individual must also
have a stroke-average under 76.0, maintain a
minimum cumulative grade-point average of
3.2, be of high moral character and be in good
standing at his college or university.

9

Jayhawks in the Pros
Gary Woodland
PGA Tour: 2009-Present

Gary Woodland teamed with Matt Kuchar to win the
World Cup in November in Hainan, China. The victory
marked the first time a United States team won the World
Cup in 11 years, dating back to 2000 when Tiger Woods
and David Duval won the title. Woodland and Kuchar
shot a 9-under 63 in the third round playing fourball
and claimed the title with a final round of 5-under in
alternate-shot format. For the tournament, Woodland
and Kuchar posted a score of 24-under 264, defeating
the English and Germany teams by two strokes.
Woodland just concluded his most successful season as
a professional in 2011. In his third year on the PGA
Tour, Woodland claimed five top-five finishes and won
The Transitions Championhip. Out of the 25 events he
entered, Woodland placed in the top 25 in 15 of them.
He also finished in the top 30 of all four majors, including
a tie for 12th place at the 2011 PGA Championship.
Woodland concluded the regular season ranked 10th in
the FedEx Cup point standings and played well enough
in the FedEx Cup Playoffs to be one of only 30 golfers to
qualify for the prestigious TOUR Championship.

For 2011, Woodland ranked fifth on the tour in driving
distance at 310.5 yards, 12th in greens in regulation and
13th in overall scoring with an average round of 70.11.
Woodland ended the 2011 season ranked 17th on the
PGA Tour Money List after earning $3,448,591 during
the year.
Woodland graduated from Kansas in 2007 with a
degree in sociology and played a handful of events on
the Nationwide Tour in the next couple of years before
joining the PGA Tour in 2009. He played in 18 events
that season before a shoulder injury prematurely ended
his season.
Woodland made the cut in eight events, including the
U.S. Open at Bethpage Black where he was tied for 11th
after two days. He eventually tied for 47th place in his
first major.
While at Kansas, Woodland competed in a total of 50
events and won the 2005 Cleveland State Invitational,
2006 Kansas Invitational, 2007 All-American Golf
Classic and 2007 Louisiana Classics. Woodland qualified
for the NCAA Regional three times in his career, twice
as a part of the team in 2004 and 2007 and once as an
individual in 2006.
In his senior season, Woodland
recorded
eight
top-eight
finishes and shot par or better
in 48.7 percent of the rounds he
played. Woodland shot a 223
at the Big 12 Championship
to tie for 14th place. He then
concluded his collegiate career
by tying for 21st at the NCAA
Central Regional with a threeround total of 226.
Since his time at KU, Woodland
has made the cut in 43 of the 71
professional events in which he
has played. He has amassed an
earnings total of $3,727,588.

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2011-12 Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf Guide

Jayhawks in the Pros
Matt Gogel
PGA Tour: 2000-07

Matt Gogel spent seven seasons on the PGATour before
retiring after the 2007 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am,
an event where he had his best professional success. The
1994 Kansas graduate won the 2002 AT&T Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am, while also placing second at the
event in 2000 for his best PGA finishes.
During his career, Gogel placed in the top three of three
different events and also recorded 16 top-10 finishes. In
only his second event on the PGA Tour, Gogel tied for
seventh at the 2000 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic after
shooting a 64 in the third round and a 66 in the opening
18 holes. Gogel played in 30 events during his first year
on the circuit and took home $604,199 in a rookie
campaign that featured four top-25 finishes.
Gogel showed steady improvement in his second season
by securing seven top-25 finishes in 26 events. His top
result in 2001 came when he tied for fifth at the John
Deere Classic after shooting 68 or better in all four of his
rounds to post a score of 15-under par. Gogel also had
a strong showing at the U.S. Open Championship that
year when he tied for 12th.

Gogel also played in 94 Nationwide Tour events, claiming
six individual victories and posting 18 top-10 and 29
top-25 finishes while earning almost $450,000. Gogel
became the first player in Nationwide Tour history to
post a victory in four consecutive years.
Winning was nothing new for Gogel when he turned
professional, as he took home the 1991 Big Eight
Championship as a Jayhawk and finished in the top 10
twice at the NCAA Central Regional in his career. Gogel
earned All-America honors in 1993 when he led the
Jayhawks at the NCAA Championship with a fourround total of 295 to tie for 34th place. His score of 223
after 54 holes remains tied with John Sinovic for the best
in Kansas men’s golf history.
Gogel won three events during his collegiate career,
including the 1993 TOPY Cup Intercollegiate in
Fukushima, Japan, and the 1994 Pacific Coast
Intercollegiate in Santa Barbara, Calif. He is one of only
two KU golfers to make the All-Big Eight Tournament
Team three times by finishing in the top eight of the
event that ran from 1935-96.
In June 2007, Gogel joined The Golf Channel as an oncourse reporter for its PGA Tour Coverage.

Gogel’s best professional season came in 2002 when he
won his only career PGA Tour event, the AT&T Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am, when he fired an opening round
66 to jump in front and never look back. Gogel won the
event by three strokes with a score of 14-under and took
home the top prize of $720,000. By the end of the season,
Gogel cracked the million-dollar mark for the first time
in his career, earning a total of $1,089,482 in 25 events,
which included three top-10 showings.
In 2003, Gogel cracked the top three in the final event
of the season, the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. with
three-straight rounds of 68 or lower to shoot 15-under.
It marked the final top three of his career. Gogel went
on to earn three more top-10 results and 11 more top25 finishes before reitiring. In total, Gogel played in 177
events and earned $4.5 million during his PGA career.

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

11

Jayhawks in the Pros
Chris Thompson

Tyler Hall

Maintaining a busy schedule of mini-tour events and a
few Nationwide Tour competitions, Chris Thompson
enjoyed a successful season professionally in 2011.

Tyler Hall won the 96th annual Met Open Championship
at Sleepy Hollow Country Club on Aug. 25, 2011.

Nationwide Tour: 2006-present

Thompson, who played at Kansas from 1996-99 and still
lives in Lawrence, shot 23-under to win the eGolf Tour
Columbia Open in April in Blythewood, S.C. Thompson
also won the Adams Golf Tour Northwest Arkansas Open
by seven strokes with a score of 22-under. Thompson
added three
more
topfive
finishes
during
the
year and fell
one stroke shy
of qualifying
for the Byron
Nelson Classic
on the PGA
Tour. He also
earned a spot
in three Nationwide Tour Events in 2011 and tied for
25th at the Midwest Classic. Between the three tours,
Thompson earned more than $70,000 in winnings in
2011.
Thompson won the eGolf Tour HGM Hotels Classic in
2010 while taking some time away from the Nationwide
Tour, where he played two full seasons in 2007 and 2008.
In 46 career starts on the Nationwide Tour, Thompson
collected nine top-25 finishes, including a career-best tie
for eighth at the 2007 Cox Classic in Omaha, Neb.
Thompson graduated from Kansas with a degree in
business and led the Jayhawks in scoring average in both
his sophomore and junior campaigns. Thompson won
three different events while at KU.

Hall carded a 67 (-4) in the final round to win the most
prestigious event of the Metropolitan Golf Association.
Hall won the tournament with a three-round total of
206 (-7) only nine months removed from surgery on a
torn labrum.
Hall has competed in one PGA Tour Event during his
career, the 2005 Buick Championship, where he posted
rounds of 71 and 70, but barely missed the 70-person
cutline after being in a tie for 78th after 36 holes.
Hall spent three years on the Gateway Tour from 200709. In his first year on the circuit, Hall competed in 16
events and made the cut in 14 of them. He recorded
three top-10 finishes with his best result being a tie for
fourth at the Spring Series Championship. Hall played
a more limited schedule on the Gateway Tour in 2008,
competing in only 11 events and earning his lone top
10 with an eighth-place showing in the Desert Spring
Tournament at Encanterra Country Club in Queen
Creek, Ariz. In his final season on the Gateway Tour,
Hall shot a season-low round of 67 to help him tie for
26th at the Desert Winter Tournament.
Hall lettered at Kansas each year from 2001-04. He
posted his career-best round early in his freshman season
when he fired a 66 at the 2000 Missouri Bluffs Classic
in St. Charles, Mo. In his senior season, Hall led the
Jayhawks at the 2004 Big 12 Championship with a 224
to tie for 20th place.

Prior to joining the Nationwide Tour, Thompson played
four seasons on the Gateway Tour following college. He
holds the course record of 61 at the Lawrence Country
Club and also shot a 65 on the Alvamar public course,
one off the record held by fellow Jayhawk Matt Gogel.

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Folds of Honor
Major Dan Rooney
Folds of Honor Founder

Former Kansas golfer and
F-16 fighter pilot Major
Dan Rooney founded
the Folds of Honor
Foundation in 2007.
According to its website,
www.foldsofhonor.og,
the organization’s mission
statement reads, “Folds of
Honor is rallying a nation
to ensure no family gets
left behind in the fight
to preserve American freedom. Through scholarships
and other assistance, we’re giving back to the spouses
and children of soldiers killed or disabled in service
to our country. We’re providing healing, hope and an
opportunity to realize their dreams with the help of
people like you. This is our mission.”

when playing a round of golf on that day. In its first two
years, Patriot Golf Day raised $3 million in donations
from golfers nationwide, and awarded more than 550
scholarships. As a result of his efforts, People Magazine
recognized Rooney as one of its 2008 Heroes of the Year,
while “ABC World News Tonight” named Rooney as one
its Persons of the Year for 2008.
Rooney has also received the White House’s Presidential
Volunteer Service Award, the Air National Guard’s
Distinguished Service Medal, the Ellis Island Medal
of Honor and The PGA of America’s first-ever Patriot
Award. His many decorations for service include the Air
Force Commendation Medal, Air Medal, Anti-terrorism
Medal, Combat Readiness Medal and Air Expeditionary
Medal.
Over the last four years, PGA Professionals and golfers
have raised more than $8.5 million, which has allowed
more than 2,000 people to receive scholarship funds
from the organization.

Rooney, who played golf at KU from 1992-95 and earned
a Master’s degree in performance psychology, served
in the Oklahoma Air National Guard after graduation
and completed three tours of duty in Iraq as an F-16
pilot. When returning home from his second tour, the
passengers of his plane were asked to remain seated
while the casket with the remains of a fallen soldier,
Corporal Brad Bucklin, was carried off. Major Rooney
saw the emotional process of the casket being taken away
with the Corporal’s brother, wife, son and other family
members there to witness it. However, he also noticed
that some of the passengers on the plane had already
begun deboarding despite the announcement to remain
seated. This urged Rooney to do something as a tribute
to his fellow American soldiers and led to him starting
the noprofit organization.
Rooney’s flagship fundraiser became Patriot Golf Day,
a collaborative effort between The Professional Golfers’
Association of America (PGA) and the United States Golf
Association (USGA) to encourage golfers to pay an extra
dollar toward the cause in addition to their greens fees

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

13

Academic Support
Student-Athlete Support Services Mission Statement
The Student-Athlete Support Services staff focuses all collective resources in support of the academic, personal and interpersonal development
of each individual it serves. As part of its commitment to the academic success of its athletes, Kansas Athletics recently completed a new
academic complex in the summer of 2009. The facility features individual study rooms and a computer lab.

Lisa Hehman
Academic Counselor,
Career Counseling

Degree & Career Counseling
Earning a degree from the University of Kansas is an
achievement that will remain with you the rest of your life.
And walking through the Campanile and down the Hill as a
part of the graduation ceremonies is a memory that will last
a lifetime.
The Academic Support Staff members:
• Meet regularly with new students to discuss upcoming
academic requirements, transition issues, time management
strategies and more.
• Facilitate students’ career exploration.
• Assist students with selection of major.
• Assist students with selection of courses which ensure their
progress towards a degree.
• Develop long-term academic plans.
• Assist students with personal concern.

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2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

Strength and Conditioning
Anderson Family Strength & Conditioning Complex
The $8 million, 42,000 square-foot Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center, which features state-of-the-art weight training
equipment, a cardiovascular workout area, as well as meeting rooms and lockers, opened for KU student-athletes in the summer of 2003. Los
Angeles residents Dana and Sue Anderson pledged the funds to the University of Kansas Endowment Association on behalf of their family,
including their four children, for the one-of-a-kind strength and conditioning center.

Joe Staub
Assistant Strength and
Conditioning Coach

2011-12 Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf Guide

15

Athletic Training
Top Notch Medical Staff
The University of Kansas Sports Medicine Staff and Physicians are constantly on the cutting edge of injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Using such state-of-the-art equipment as aquatic rehabilitation pools and monitored rehab systems, as well as a multitude of hands on
techniques, the sports medicine staff at Kansas is able to implement programs for its athletes which have resulted in significantly faster and
safer return to competition.

Bill Cowgill
Associate Director of
Sports Medicine

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2011-12 Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf Guide

University of Kansas
• KU has more than 40 nationally ranked academic programs, 28 of which are
ranked among the nation’s top 30 public schools. Two are number one in the
nation: special education and city management/urban policy. Among the top 10
rankings are the school of education and programs in community health,
occupational therapy, nursing and petroleum engineering.
• KU offers nearly 200 fields of study in 13 different schools, from architecture,
music and engineering to medicine, social welfare and law.
• KU has an enrollment of 29,462 students, including 20,811 undergraduates on
the Lawrence campus. KU attracts more than 1,500 international students from
more than 110 countries. The average ACT score of 24.8 exceeds the national
average.
• KU’s popular Four-Year Tuition Compact freezes tuition rates for four years for
first-time freshmen. The Jayhawk Generations Scholarship offers a 12 to 20
percent discount on out-of-state tuition for qualifying children of KU alumni who
live outside Kansas.
• KU ranks seventh in nation among “most popular” public universities, per US
News’ Student Choice Awards.
• Counselors from US News’ “best high schools” rank KU 12th in nation, based on
a survey of academic reputation.
• The KU School of Journalism won the Intercollegiate Writing Competition in
2007, 2008 and 2009.
• The KU Debate team won the national championship in 2009, its fifth national
title.
• KU’s School of Pharmacy ranks third in the nation for NIH research funding and
fifth in nation in exam pass rates.
• KU’s Confucius Institute is ranked among top four in nation, top 20 in world.
• KU ranks ninth in the world in the rate of new patents issued.
• KU’s law school ranks 10th in nation for hands-on educational opportunities.
• When Forbes Magazine named the 100 most powerful women in the world, two
KU graduates were in the top five.
• KU promotes a global education and ranks 11th in nation for study abroad
participation and 25th in Peace Corps participation among large doctoral
universities.
• KU has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars, more than all other Kansas universities
combined.

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

17

KU Traditions
Campanile Hill
Campanile Hill forms the picturesque backdrop for Memorial
Stadium. On a sunny fall Saturday, the “Hill” is transformed into a
congregating place for watching Jayhawk football, sunning and
barbequing. Potter Lake, just to the southwest of Memorial Stadium
and at the bottom of Campanile Hill, adds to the beauty of the
Kansas campus.

The Rock Chalk Chant
The Rock Chalk Chant has been the battle cry of KU fans for more
than 80 years. This strange, traditional chant, which is among the
most famous of all college cheers, was started by E.H.S. Bailey, a
professor of chemistry. On May 21, 1886, Bailey submitted the
cheer to his club.
Before the University adopted the cheer in 1897, it consisted of
“Rah, Rah, Jayhawk, KU” being repeated three times. An English
professor soon suggested that “Rock Chalk” be substituted for “Rah,
Rah” because it rhymed with Jayhawk. “Rock Chalk” was also
symbolic of the chalky limestone formations found on Mount
Oread. Teddy Roosevelt once said the Rock Chalk Chant was the
best he had ever heard.

The School Colors
The University of Kansas colors, crimson and blue, used since the
early 1890s, are not the colors originally adopted by the university
Board of Regents in the 1860s. The Regents had decided to adopt
the Michigan colors, maize and sky blue.
Maize and blue were used at early oratorical meets, and they may
have been used when Kansas competed in rowing in the middle
1880s. However, when football came upon the scene in 1890, the

student backers wanted to use Harvard crimson as the athletic color
in honor of Col. John J. McCook, a Harvard man, who had given
money for an athletic field at KU. That field ran east and west in the
proximity of where the north bowl of Memorial Stadium stands on
the Kansas campus today.
Some Yale men were on the faculty, and they demanded the Yale
blue be included. The rooters rallied forth to allow crimson and blue
on their team. No one fought to retain the original colors, and the
vivid deeper tone crimson and blue became generally used. Finally,
in May 1896, the KU Athletic Board adopted crimson and blue as
the official team colors for the university.

The Alma Mater
In 1891, professor George Barlow Penny searched for a school song
for the Glee and Mandolin Club to sing on its tour through Kansas
to Denver and back. No one responded with an original song in
answer to his appeals. Just before departure, he thought of the
Cornell song “Far Above Cayuga’s Waters.” Hastily changing a few
words, he gave it to the glee club men to sing on the trip. He did not
expect the song to be used after their return, but “Crimson and the

18

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

KU Traditions
Blue” still goes on. The music is not Cornell’s but an old English folk
tune, “Annie Lisle.”

Waving The Wheat
Since the early days of KU sports, it has been a ritual of Jayhawk fans
to “wave the wheat” following every Kansas scoring drive in football.
The tradition also extends to Allen Fieldhouse where fans “wave the
wheat” when an opponent fouls out and at the conclusion of every
Jayhawk victory. The ritual consists of fans waving their arms in the
air, an activity which, when done by a large crowd, resembles a
breezy Kansas wheat field.

The Nickname
During the Civil War a regiment raised by Kansas Governor Charles
Robinson called itself the “Independent Mounted Jayhawks” (later
officially the First Kansas Calvary and then the Seventh Kansas
Regiment). By the end of the Civil War the word Jayhawk was
associated with the spirit of camaraderie and the courageous fighting
qualities that characterized efforts to keep Kansas a free state.
By 1886, the University of Kansas had adopted the mythical bird as
part of the KU yell. When the university’s football team first took the
field in 1890, it seemed only natural that they should be called
Jayhawkers. Few colleges and universities have such a meaningful
symbol, one so deeply associated with the struggles of the people who
founded them.

The Fight Song
George “Dumpy” Bowles, a student with the class of 1912, longed
to make a great contribution to the KU spirit, but wasn’t athletic
enough to do historic deeds on the a­ thletic field. He turned to music
and produced some outstanding student musical shows.
A song in one of these shows was “I’m a Jayhawk.” Written in 1912,
it was dormant until 1920 when a growth in school spirit brought
out “I’m a Jayhawk” once more. The song contributed to the raising
of funds to build both the KU football stadium and student union
as World War I memorials. The 1926 glee club made it known
­nationally.

Lawrence is not just another college community. It presents the easy-going feeling of a small town combined with big city cultural opportunities. A population of 90,000 that comes from widely diverse backgrounds makes Lawrence an outstanding place to live and raise a
family.
A community that supports the University of Kansas with its heart and soul, Lawrence envelops the students so they too think of Lawrence
as their own hometown. Lawrence is well-known for the arts, alternative music and downtown shops, galleries and restaurants.

About Lawrence
• Lawrence Population: 90,000
• Annual Average High Temperature: 66
• Annual Average Low Temperature: 43
• Annual Average Precipitation: 39”
• Lawrence is conveniently located on Interstate 70, 35 miles west of
Kansas City and 25 miles east of Topeka (state capital). Kansas Highway
10 connects Lawrence to the south Kansas City metroplex. Highway 59
serves as the city’s north and south access, and Highway 40 runs parallel
to Interstate 70 east and west.
Lawrence boasts a vibrant downtown, listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, with a wide assortment of shops,
galleries, eateries and historic architecture. Many have called
Massachusetts Street one of the most beautiful main streets in
America.

• Lawrence was founded in 1854 by the New England Emigrant Aid
Society in an effort to keep the territory free from slavery. It is said that
it is one of the few cities in the United States founded strictly for political
reasons.
• Both the Oregon and Sante Fe Trails run through parts of Lawrence and
Douglas County.
• Lawrence streets are named after the states in the order they came into
the Union, beginning with Delaware.
• Massachusetts was designated the “Main” street because Lawrence’s
founders were from Massachusetts.
• Lawrence festivals provide a wealth of musical offerings. Music is a staple
in the Lawrence community. The sounds of local talent can be heard
echoing through the city’s streets both day and night.

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

21

Kansas City

Kauffman Stadium
Home of the Royals

Located just 35 miles east of Lawrence, Kansas City offers a wide variety
of things to do. The Truman Sports Complex is home to the National
Football League and Major League Baseball with the Kansas City Chiefs
and Royals playing in side-by-side Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums.
The Kansas City Power & Light District is a vibrant, eight-block
neighborhood in the heart of downtown Kansas City with a combination
of entertainment, retail and nightlife. The many tastes, flavors and
entertainment options of the District make each visit an exciting
experience.

Sprint Center

In Kansas City, Kan., sits the brand-new LIVESTRONG Sporting
park, home of Major League Soccer’s Sporting KC, and the Kansas
Speedway, which hosts two events of NASCAR’s premier series,
the NEXTEL Cup, each year as well as an IndyCar Series race.
No trip to Kansas City is complete without a visit to the Plaza. This
14-squareblock shopping and entertainment district boasts romantic
Spanish architecture, European art and dazzling fountains. Designed
in 1922, the Plaza features boutiques and fashionable national stores
as well as distinctive restaurants, outdoor cafés and nightlife hotspots.

Union Station

Arrowhead Stadium
Home of the Chiefs

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2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

YEAR IN REVIEW

2010-11 Recap
Kansas men’s golf peaked at the end of the 2010 fall season with three-straight top-three finishes to end the calendar year, capped
off by a victory at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate on October 26.
The stretch began when the team competed in the Colorado Invitational in Erie, Colo. Senior Jeff Bell led Kansas by shooting
even-par for the three rounds to tie for 10th place with a score of 216. As a team, the Jayhawks took third out of 14 schools with
a three-round aggregate of 869 (+5). Three other KU golfers joined Bell in the top 20 of the event. Senior Nate Barbee tied for
15th with a total of 217 (+1), while sophomore Chris Gilbert was right behind with a 218 (+2) to tie for 18th. Sophomore Alex
Gutesha ended the event in a tie for 20th with a two-day total of 219 (+3).
Following the Colorado Invitational, Kansas had three weeks off
before competing again in the Bill Ross Intercollegiate in Kansas City,
Mo., but it was well worth the wait. Barbee claimed his second career
individual medalist honors by pacing the field with a three-round 213
(-3) to defeat Daily Young of Missouri State by one stroke. Barbee’s
victory guided the Jayhawks to a second-place finish in the 14-team
field. Gilbert and Gutesha represented KU’s next two finishers behind
Barbee, shooting identical scores of 226 (+10) to tie for 23rd place.
Junior Doug Quinones came in one shot behind the sophomore duo
with a 227 (+11).

Nate Barbee won the Bill Ross Intercollegiate in
2010 to mark his second career victory.

“He’s been really close,” said Kansas head coach about Barbee’s
individual title. “It was one of those deals where he needed to get
some good rounds for some confidence. He had a 69 in Colorado,
and that helped him a lot. Getting out and shooting under par on
Monday helped him, too. He’s playing pretty solid golf right now.”

Grove also knew that Barbee wasn’t the only Jayhawk playing solid golf at the time, which Grove indicated when looking ahead
on the calendar.
“We feel a lot better,” he said. “Golf is a strange game, so you never really know. Our next tournament (The Herb Wimberly
Intercollegiate) is a 15-team tournament, and the field will be about like it was in Colorado. We had three or four guys play there
last year, so we have a little experience there. We just want to build on what we’ve been doing. We’ve been doing a good job of
keeping our rounds low.”
The final round of the fall season was where it would all click for the Jayhawks. Three different Kansas golfers shot 68 or better
on the final day as the team overcame an 11-stroke deficit to claim its first tournament title since 2007. Gutesha led KU with
a career-best 210 (-3), which included his career-low round of 68 to conclude the event and earn him a tie for third in the
84-person field. Gilbert also had a then-personal-best tournament total of 213 (E) to tie for seventh, marking his second career
top-10 finish. Barbee fired a 66 in his last round of 2010 to move 15 spots up the leaderboard and tie for 10th with an aggregate
of 214 (+1).
Kansas could not regain that same form in the spring season, however. The Jayhawks began 2011 by placing 12th out of 20
teams at the Wyoming Desert Classic in Palm Desert, Calif., and followed it up with another 12th-place showing at the Lousiana
Classics. The Jayhawks’ best finish of the spring came at the Iowa Hawkeye Invitiational where the team took sixth place out of
11 entries with a two-round total of 603. KU’s 2010-11 campaign ended with a ninth-place result at the Big 12 Championship
after the team shot 1196 (+76) in four rounds over three days.

24

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate
Entering the final round of the 2010 Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate in fifth place - 11 strokes behind tournament host New
Mexico State for the lead - the Kansas men’s golf team made a furious comeback to pass four teams on the leaderboard and claim
its first tournament title in four years.
Sophomores Chris Gilbert and Alex Gutesha
had career-best rounds of 65 and 68,
respectively, while senior Nate Barbee added
a 66 to lead Kansas to a team total of 273
(-11) on the final day to edge UNLV by one
stroke with a three-round score of 858 (+6).
Barbee, Gilbert and Gutesha all finished in
the top 10 individually, led by Gutesha’s 210
(-3), which was the lowest tournament total
of any Jayhawk for the entire season and
earned him a tie for third place. Gilbert tied
for seventh place with a three-round total of
213 (E), while Barbee tied for 10th (214, +1)
after registering three eagles in the final 18
holes, which was more than any other team
combined.

“It was pretty amazing how Chris, Alex and Nate played,” said Kansas head coach Kit Grove
following the tournament. “We were 14-under among the three of them. That’s pretty good
no matter how you look at it. It was great to watch the guys play so well. Chris went out
and played mistake-free golf. Alex was on a roll and was pretty much in cruise control
after the second hole. Nate had a great round shooting three eagles. Golf is a strange
game and you never know where you’re at, but when I saw we were at 11-under for the
day, I started to think we had a shot at winning. Of course, you don’t know for sure until
all the scores are in.”
Kansas passed four teams on the leaderboard as part of its comeback to win its first team
trophy since the 2007 All-American Golf Classic in Houston, Texas.
“We were far enough back that I don’t know that you think about winning,” recalled
Grove later. “When you’re 10 to 12 shots back, that’s a lot to make up, especially when
one of the teams is the host team, but we went out and had three guys play really well.
Chris, Alex and Nate all shot 68 or better. Doug (Quinones) chipped in with a 74, and
it was enough to end up nipping UNLV by one stroke. That was definitely cool for the
guys.”

2011 Fall Recap
Kansas men’s golf saw some great individual performances and finishes during the fall season, but inconsistency as a team led to some
disappointing showings and left room for improvement heading into the spring.
Juniors Alex Gutesha and Chris Gilbert combined for three top-10 finishes, including a team-high eighth-place finish by Gutesha
to conclude the fall season at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate after he shot a career-best 66 in the second round en route to a
three-round total of 210 (-3). Gilbert also ended the fall season strong, shooting a 2-under 69 in the second round of the Wimberly
Intercollegiate and finishing in a tie for 18th place with an even-par 213, while senior Doug Quinones carded a team-best 70 in the
final round of the fall to tie for 26th.
“Doug, Chris and Alex went out and played pretty solid golf,” said Kansas head coach Kit
Grove after the final round of the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate. “For the three of them
to get around the course at even-par is good, positive stuff for us. Obviously, day one was
our best day of the year. We got a good team effort; nine of our 10 scores were 74 or better.
The week as a whole was much better than the last two events. That allows us to end on a
positive note going into the spring.”
Kansas’ fall season began at the Mark Simpson Invitational in Erie, Colo. The Jayhawks
showed steady progress during the two days by lowering their team total in each of the three
rounds at the event hosted by Colorado. Gilbert posted the best round of the tournament
for KU with a final-round 68 that included four birdies and one eagle to help him finish
in a tie for ninth place at 3-under par, 213.

Junior Chris Gilbert had four top20 finishes in the fall season.

Following the Simpson Invitational, KU hosted 12 teams for the Kansas Invitational. The
Jayhawks displayed their best team effort of the fall with four Kansas golfers placing in
the top 15 at the annual tournament held at Alvamar Golf Club. Junior college transfer
Paul Harris led the Jayhawks with a 220 (+4) to tie for 11th, while Gilbert, Gutesha and
freshman Dylan McClure all tied for 15th place with three-round totals of 222 (+6).
However, Kansas could not overcome its first round where each golfer shot over par.
As a result, the team placed fifth with a score of 884 (+20), which was well below the
expectations Grove had going into the tournament.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Grove. “This is our home turf, and we putted awful. This
is a good, hard golf course, but we did way too many things well to have the scores we
had. I thought we had a pretty good week of practice (leading up to this tournament). We did a lot of lag-putting drills because the
last tournament was the same deal. We played really solid except a couple guys struggled on the greens. The big thing I’m noticing is
(judging) speed. We have to get better at that.”
KU’s struggles continued the next two weeks at the Cardinal Intercollegiate and The Invitational at the Ocean Course where Kansas
finished 10th and 12th, respectively. Gutesha earned his second top-10 finish of the year with a two-round score of 144 (E) at the
rain-shortened Cardinal Intercollegiate, which tied him with four other golfers for 10th. At The Invitational, Quinones led the squad
with a 220 (+4) that included 11 birdies during three rounds to tie for 15th place, but poor putting continued to be the downfall of
the Jayhawks as a team.
“We’re a lot better from tee to green than we’ve been in the past three or four years,” Grove noted after the Cardinal Intercollegiate.
“We’re giving away shots on the green, and it’s killing our scores. It’s a lack of execution. The ability to shoot low is there, but we have
to execute. Tenth place as a team is not what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Kansas seemed to regain some of its form on the greens at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate, but it left a lot of room for improvement
heading into the winter.
“We did a lot of stuff well, but obviously there are a lot of things we have to work on,” said Grove at the end of the Herb Wimberly
Intercollegiate. “They’re going to need to put in the time in the offseason. We have to get sharper. They’ve got to continue to do the
stuff that we’ve been working on in the fall throughout the offseason.”

Senior Doug Quinones led the Jayhawks with a
tournament total of 220 to tie for 15th place at
The Invitational in Kiawah Island, S.C.

29

2012 Spring Preview
Kansas men’s golf will travel to some familiar places this spring as it prepares for the Big 12 Championship in May.
KU will begin its spring campaign at the Louisiana Classics in Lafayette, La., a
site where the Jayhawks have competed each of the last five years and 15 of the
last 16 seasons dating back to 1996. The Jayhawks will look to start the season
strong and improve on their 12th-place total of 893 a year ago. Kansas started to
build some momentum at the end of the fall season with a fifth-place showing at
the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate, but in order to sustain that throughout the
spring, KU will need to have a reliable No. 5 golfer emerge on the team.
“Obviously, Alex (Gutesha) played well in our last event to finish off the fall
season at New Mexico State,” said Kansas head coach Kit Grove. “Chris (Gilbert)
played solid as well. Paul (Harris) had a good first day. Doug (Quinones) played
fairly solid for us, too. It’s just going to be the mystery five man. That’s something
we were very poor at in the fall. Our fourth score was way too high round in and
round out. Dylan (McClure) got in the lineup quite a bit. It’s an adjustment as a
freshman, but we need a little more consistency. You have to get a little bit of help
from your four and five guys, and that was a thing that really hurt us this year.
As a whole, we would get two or three guys to play decent, and we just couldn’t
quite get that help.”
Another focus for the spring will be increased consistency in the putting game,
an area where the Jayhawks struggled during the fall.

Junior Paul Harris joined the team
from Central Alabama Community
College this season.

“We putted so poorly at the beginning of the year when the guys were probably
playing a little bit better,” noted Grove. “We made a big commitment to some
different speed drills and other things during the last four to six weeks of practice
in the fall. We actually started to see some improvement statistically from a
putting standpoint toward the end. We’re continuing to try and do that and
trying to get them to do some of that work on their own in the offseason.”

Following the Louisiana Classics, KU will return to the Border Olympics in Laredo, Texas, for the second-straight year before
traveling to the Desert Shootout in Goodyear, Ariz. The Jayhawks had a stong showing in their most recent appearance at the
Desert Shootout, taking second place as a team while also seeing Nate Barbee claim second place individually in 2010 with a
three-round score of 205.
After a two-week layoff, KU will play two tournaments in a span of seven days, beginning with the Cowboy Classic April 9-10 in
Scottsdale, Ariz., and concluding with The Western Intercollegiate April 14-15 in Santa Cruz, Calif. The Western Intercollegiate
will serve as the final tune-up for the Jayhawks before the Big 12 Championship, which will be held April 27-29 in Trinity, Texas.
With the strength of the conference, Grove knows a top-half finish at the league event will require a team effort, especially with
the Championship being hosted in the state of Texas.
“I don’t think the goal of finishing in the top half of the Big 12 is crazy,” said Grove. “By the same token, if you looked at the
rankings today, Texas is No. 1 in the nation. Oklahoma State is ‘struggling’ and they were ninth in the last poll I looked at. You
have six or seven teams, in reality, that have a chance of being in the top 25 in mid-April when we go there. Plus, if you look at
statistically going to Trinity every year, the southern schools do well. They play on the Bermuda grass all the time. The ball reacts
differently on the greens. Our guys have a hard time figuring out ‘Am I down grain or into the grain?’ I don’t think it’s something
tangible you can say is worth X-number of shots, but there is definitely something to it because year in and year out, the ‘north’
is more competitive when we’re at Prairie Dunes (in Hutchinson, Kan.). It’s an uphill battle, but it can be done. That’s the beauty
of golf. You never know what you’re going to get from week to week.”

AS A JUNIOR (2010-11): Competed in 12 events... Shot a 70 in the final round of the
Fairway Club Invitational to tie for second place, his best finish of the year...Tied his seasonbest round with a 69 in the first round of the Big 12 Championship to be in a four-way tie
for third place after the first 18 holes... Finished the Big 12 Championship with the secondlowest score for a Jayhawk, posting a 296 for the four rounds
to tie for 22nd place...
His 217 through three
rounds of the Big
12 Championship
would have been
his aggregate score
of the season had
it been a 54-hole
tournament... Shot
his first sub-70 round as
a
Jayhawk in the second round of the
Border Olympics en route to his best
three-round tounament score of 218.
JUNIOR COLLEGE: Attended
Monterey Peninsula College freshman
year and played number one in every
tournament... Scoring average of 75.6
and earned all-conference honors...
Placed 36th at state... Won a tournament at
Cordavalle with a 68 and tied for first at the
final tournament with a 71 at Rancho Canada...
Transferred to New Mexico Junior College and
played in every tournament... Ended the year
with a scoring average of 72.8 with three top-five
finishes... Recorded low round of the day at the
National Tournament with a 68 in the second
round... Finished nationals with a tie for 16th...
Won the Scratch Match Play at Centennial
Golf Club this summer... Won scholar-athlete of
the year for the golf team.

POST-COLLEGE PLANS:
Play professional golf

HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered all four years...
Won conference his senior year with a scoring
average of 71.5... Played on the Northern
California Junior team... Chip and Putt
National Finalist... Ten wins in the Junior Golf
Association of Northern California.

MY MOTTO:
Enjoy Life

PERSONAL: Son of John Quinones and
Kathy Cole... Majoring in economics.

AS A SOPHOMORE (2010-11): Led the team in scoring
average with a 73.57
average round... Competed in 12 events with his best finish
being a tie for seventh at
the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate as part of the Jayhawks’
first tournament title
under head coach Kit Grove... Shot the lowest round
of any KU golfer during
the season with a 65 in the final round of the Herb
Wimberly Intercollegiate...
Posted six top-15 finishes, including 14th place at the
Big 12 Championship...
Recorded top-25 finishes at every event except for the
National Invitational, where
he finished tied for 26th... Fired
two sub-70 rounds, a 68 and a
67, at the Border Olympics
to tie for 11th.
AS A FRESHMAN (200910): Competed in all 12
events and ranked third on the
team in scoring average amongst
major contributors with a 76.03 average ...
Contributed one top-10 and four top-20 finishes
... Tied for 14th at the Fairway Club Invitational in his
first-career start ... Shot a 154 at the rain-shortened Jim
Colbert Intercollegiate to tie for 25th ... Tied for 14th at
the Kansas Invitational ... Wrapped up fall campaign
by tying for 50th at the Bill Ross Intercollegiate
and tying for 59th at the Herb Wimberly
Intercollegiate ... Recorded top-20 finish at the
Squire Creek Invitational while competing
as an individual .... Fired his best round of
the season with a 68 to propel himself to
his season-best ninth-place finish at the
Missouri Intercollegiate ... Shot a 299 over
the four-round Big 12 Championship to
tie for 34th.
HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Royal High
School for the last two years of high school,
after moving from North Carolina ...
Played for head coach Bob Misko ... Earned
three letters and All-Conference honors in
each season ... Helped lead team to 2008
Conference Championship ... As a senior,
placed second in the Marmonte League
Conference Tournament ... Qualified for
the 2008 US Junior ... Won twice in the
Southern California PGA Toyota Tour Cup
Series ... Recorded three top-five finishes
in Future Collegian World Tour events ...
Named Honorable Mention on the FWCT
All-American Team.

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

2011-12 Jayhawks
PERSONAL: Son of Jeff and Terri Gilbert… Majoring in
business finance… Father played golf at the University of
Oregon… Earned 2009 Scholar Athlete Achievement Award.

AS A SOPHOMORE (2010-11): Competed in 11 events and recorded three top-20
finishes... Posted the best three-round score for a KU golfer during the season, shooting a
210 at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate to finish tied for third while leading the Jayhawks
to their first tournament title under Kit Grove... Fired his career-best round of 68 in the final
round of the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate... Shot a 69 in the second round of the Cowboy
Classic en route to a team-best three-round score of 215.
AS A FRESHMAN (2009-10): Competed in all 12 events and recorded two top-20 finishes...
Ranked second in scoring average at 75.53... Fired season-best round of 68 at the Desert
Shootout... Fired six rounds of par or better... Opened the season with his best finish of the
year by tying for 10th at the Fairway Club Invitational
with a score of 217... Shot
a 148 to tie for 11th at the rainshortened
Jim Colbert Intercollegiate...
Finished 72nd at the
Kansas
Invitational...
Rebounded by tying
for 22nd at the Bill Ross
Intercollegiate... Tied for 31st
a t
the Rice Intercollegiate...
Shot a 226 to tie for 26th
at the
Shocker Classic... Also tied for 26th at the
Missouri Intercollegiate... Shot a 306 to tie
for 50th at the Big 12 Championship.
HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Cherry Creek High
School in Greenwood Village, Colo... Played for head
coach Robert Kubiak... Earned four letters, qualified for
state tournament on three different occasions... Recorded
five wins during his senior campaign, including besting the
40-man field at the South Suburban League Tournament...
Finished in top-five of league standings for three consecutive
years to end high school career... Three-time recipient of
the Colorado High School Athletic
Association
Award... His team placed
runnerup at the 2008 Colorado
State
Tournament...
Maintained high school
scoring average
of 71.1... Came
from two shots
behind
on
the
final hole to force
a playoff and win
the Las Vegas
qualifier for the
Junior Amateur

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

2011-12 Jayhawks
Tournament... Conquered the 2009 CJGA Junior Golf
Championship.
PERSONAL: Son of Mike and Carol Gutesha... Born in
Columbus, Ohio... Enjoys skiing, playing basketball and
working out in his spare time... A member of the honor roll
during high school... Majoring in communications.

JUNIOR COLLEGE: Played at Central Alabama Community College where he was ranked
as the No. 1 junior college golfer in the nation for 2010-11... Named to the prestigious AllNicklaus Team following the 2010-11 season, which recognizes the top 24 collegiate golfers
in the country regardless of classification (Division I, II, III, NJCAA and NAIA)... Earned
Second Team All-America Accolades... Nominated for the Palmer Cup... Made the Dean’s
List his freshman year.
HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered four years in golf at Oneonta HS... Helped lead the Redskins
to back-to-back state appearances... Finished 20th in the state his senior year of high school
in 2009, while his team was the state runner-up... Member of the team that took fourth
place at state his junior year.
PERSONAL: Son of Greg and Gina Harris... Has three siblings: Lauren, Elise and
Richard... Grandfather, John Frongillo, played
football for the Baylor Bears in college and
went on to play for the Houston Oilers
professionally... Has two uncles who
played Division I football, Chris Frongillo
for Florida State and Michael Frongillo
for New Mexico State... Plans to
major in sociology.

Best Finish
T3rd Wallace St. Inv.
1st Two Times
T11th Kansas Inv.
1st Two Times

39

2011-12 Jayhawks
Bryce Brown

So.-1L • 5-8 • Lincoln, Neb. (Southwest HS)
AS A FRESHMAN (2010-11): Competed in two events.... Finished tied for 13th at the
Fairway Club Invitational after shooting rounds of 74 and 72.
GET TO KNOW BROWN
FAVORITE COURSE:
Augusta National
FAVORITE CLUB:
Wedge

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Southwest HS in Lincoln, Neb... Earned a 3.9 GPA and was
a part of the National Honor Society... Academic all-state honorary team captain... Won six
tournaments in his senior year, including conference, district and state meets... Part of team
state championships in 2008 and 2010.
PERSONAL: Born in Lincoln, Neb... Son of Kim and Kelly Brown... Majoring in finance…
Plans on going to law school after graduation.

POST-COLLEGE PLANS:
Law school
FAVORITE MOVIE:
Inception
FAVORITE MUSICIAN/BAND:
Bob Seger
MY MOTTO:
Life is a journey, not a destination.
FAVORITE SCHOOL SUBJECT:
English

40

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

2011-12 Jayhawks
David Catt

So.-1L • 5-7 • Shawnee, Kan. (Shawnee Mission Northwest HS)

GET TO KNOW CATT
FAVORITE COURSE:
Prairie Dunes
FAVORITE CLUB:
Putter
FAVORITE GOLFER:
Tom Watson
MOST MEMORABLE ROUND:
Shooting 66 to tie a school record
in high school
DREAM FOURSOME:
Tom Watson, Josh Weems, Harry
Higgs
WHY KU:
Amazing athletic department,
excellent honors program and
vibrant social life
FAVORITE KU TRADITION:
‘Rock Chalk’ chant at the end of
basketball games
BEST THING ABOUT KU:
Beauty of the campus during the
fall
FAVORITE FOOD:
Kansas City barbeque
FAVORITE TV SHOW:
“Seinfeld”
DREAM VACATION SPOT:
Lake Como, Italy
FAVORITE MOVIE:
Good Will Hunting
FAVORITE MUSICIAN/BAND:
The Black Keys
FAVORITE SCHOOL SUBJECT:
Economics

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

AS A FRESHMAN (2010-11): Competed in three
tournaments in the fall... Top finish was 39th at the
Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate... Shot a season-low
round of 74 in the final round of the Turning Stone Tiger
Intercollegiate... Competed as an individual at the Kansas
Invitational where he posted back-to-back rounds of 75 to
open the tournament.
HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Shawnee Mission
Northwest High School... Coached by Jim
Bamburg... Won the Sunflower League title as
a junior... Won the regional title as a senior...
Tied 30-year old school scoring record with
a five-under 66 as a junior... Lost in a playoff
as a senior at the Hutchinson Invitational,
the largest high school golf tournament
in the country... Runner-up at the 2008
Missouri Junior Amateur... All-Sun County
(Johnson County) first team as a junior and
senior...All Metro (Kansas City Star) as a
junior and senior... Recipient of the 2010
Kenneth Smith Award...FCWT Academic
All-American as a sophomore... 2009
Optimist International Hugh Cranford AllScholastic team.
PERSONAL: Son of Doug and Susan
Catt... Co-editor of high school newspaper
as a senior... National Merit Finalist/Scholar...
Majoring in engineering... Attending KU on
significant academic scholarship... Considers
the Kenneth Smith Award his most important
accomplishment.
Tournament By Tournament Results
2010-11 (Fr.)
T39.
Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate................. 85-76-74—235
T49.
Fairway Club Invitational..................................... 77-77—154
T51.
Kansas Invitational.......................................... 75-75-79—229
Fall 2011 (So.)
T61.
Kansas Invitational........................................... 80-78-80--238
Career Statistics
Year
Rds-Stks Lo-Hi Avg. Low 54
2010-11 (Fr.)
8-618 74-85 77.25
229
Fall 2011 (So.)
3-238 78-80 79.33
238
Totals
11-859 74-85 78.09
229

Best Finish
T39th Turning Stone
T61st Kansas Inv.
T39th Turning Stone

41

2011-12 Jayhawks
Clay LaBrec

So.-1L • 5-11 • Westminster, Colo. (Mountain Range HS)
AS A FRESHMAN (2010-11): Played in two fall tournaments, competing as an individual
in both events… Shot a 73 in the final round of the Kansas Invitational, which tied his
low round of the year, to tie for 69th place… Tied for 13th at the Bill Ross Intercollegiate,
shooting 74-75-73—222.

GET TO KNOW LaBREC

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Mountain Range High School and played for coach Tom
Norfolk... Earned four letters… A three-time first team all-conference selection... Individual
league champion... Recorded two top-10 finishes during his freshman season... Helped team
to a third-place finish his senior year... Earned MVP of his conference and was listed on the
all-Colorado team... Won the 2009 FCWT University of New Mexico Championship...
Qualified for Optimist on two separate occasions and qualified for the Big T... Winner of the
Marine Corps Student Athlete Award.

AS A FRESHMAN (2010-11): Competed as an individual in two tournaments… Shot a
225, including a low round of 71, at the Kansas Invitational to tie for 35th… Matched his
round of 71 at the Bill Ross Intercollegiate en route to a final score of 232 to tie for 47th.
GET TO KNOW LOWERY
FAVORITE COURSE:
Kiawah Island Ocean Course
FAVORITE CLUB:
8-iron
FAVORITE GOLFER:
David Duval
MOST MEMORABLE ROUND:
Playing with Arnold Palmer
FAVORITE SUBJECT:
Math
FAVORITE KU TRADITION:
Singing the alma mater before every
home game
BEST THING ABOUT KU:
The student-athlete support

HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered four years in golf and two years in basketball... Won 10
tournaments in the state of Kansas during his career, including nine in his final two seasons...
Runner-up at the 6A State Championship his junior year... Led the Crusaders to the 6A State
Championship in 2010... Finished as the runner-up in the City League Championship all
four years... Won his 6A Regional and took fourth place in the state his freshman year, which
earned him the distinction of Metro-Prep Golfer of the Year... Advanced to the round of 16
at the 2010 Kansas Amateur... Graduated with Cum Laude honors and was a state scholar.
PERSONAL: Son of Joe and Kay Auer... Has one brother, Nick... Dad played baseball at the
University of Iowa... Uncle Matt played baseball for Missouri Southern... Plans to major in
civil engineering.

GET TO KNOW MCCLURE
FAVORITE COURSE:
Denton Country Club
FAVORITE CLUB:
Putter

HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered four years in golf at Northwest High School in Justin, Texas...
Set the school’s all-time scoring average record his senior season... Earned all-district honors
for the third-straight year after taking third place in the district his senior season... Received
the Fighting Heart award along with all-district recognition his junior campaign... Named
his team’s MVP his sophomore year after winning the district championship... Member of the
National Honor Society... Earned academic all-district recognition three years and academic
all-state honors once.
PERSONAL: Son of Daryl and Tammy McClure... Planning to major in business.

Head Coach Kit Grove
Kit Grove is in his fifth season as head golf coach at Kansas. Grove served as assistant coach
to former KU coach Ross Randall for one season prior to becoming head coach in 2007 upon
Randall’s retirement.

The Grove File
Full Name

Kit Carson Grove

Born

Superior, Neb.

Education

Kansas
B.S., sports management, 1998

Coaching Experience

1997-98
Volunteer Student Coach
University of Kansas
2006-07
Assistant Coach
University of Kansas
2007-present
Head Coach
University of Kansas

In the 2010-11 season, Grove guided the Jayhawks to a couple of firsts, including the team’s
first title since it won the All-American Golf Classic Feb. 27, 2007. Three different Jayhawks
shot 68 or better in the final round of the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate to overcome an
11-stroke deficit and claim the team trophy by one shot over UNLV. Grove also saw the
team post its best scoring average for a season during his tenure with a three-round mark of
889.6.
In Grove’s first season he led a youthful Jayhawk squad to a sixth-place finish at the 2008 Big
12 Championship. The team recorded four top-10 finishes, including a tie for second place
at the 2007 Kansas Invitational.
The program utilized a veteran nucleus and many talented up-and-coming young players to
continue to build in Grove’s second season. The team posted three top-five results, including
back-to-back third-place finishes at the Fairway Club Invitational and Kansas Invitational to
open the season.
The 2009-10 team produced seven top-five finishes during the year. The Jayhawks recorded
three runner-up finishes. The team was led by Nate Barbee, who registered eight of the team’s
nine top-five individual finishes, including a victory at the Kansas Invitational.
Grove, a Superior, Neb. native, played three years for the Jayhawks (1995-97) under the
tutelage of Randall. Grove
stayed involved with the
Jayhawk program even
after his playing days were
over, helping Randall with
his annual junior summer
camps and also serving as a
volunteer student assistant
coach during the 1997-98
campaign.
Randall stepped down
from his post as head
coach at the conclusion
of the spring 2007 season
to become the director of
golf operations. Randall
retired from KU Athletics
in 2009.
Grove began his Jayhawk
career as a sophomore after

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

Kit Grove
playing his freshman season at New Mexico State. During
his first season with KU, Grove competed in both the NCAA
Central Regional and the NCAA Championship.
As a junior, Grove completed his best tournament as a
Jayhawk, tying for fifth at the 1995 Kansas Invitational
highlighted by his second-round score of 68. He competed in
12 tournaments as a junior and turned in two top-10 finishes.
Grove played a major role during his senior season,
competing in all 12 events. He placed in the top 25 three
times during his final Jayhawk season, capped off by his
ninth-place finish at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate.
Throughout his career Grove excelled both on the golf course
and in the classroom. In high school Grove was named the
valedictorian of Southeast (Lincoln, Neb.) High School and
maintained a 4.0 GPA. The academic honors continued for
Grove while at Kansas where he was named Academic AllAmerican in 1997. Groveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other academic honors included
being named both Academic All-Big Eight and a Big Eight
Classroom Champion in 1997.

Since graduating from Kansas in 1998, golf has led Grove
all over the world, both as a professional player and
golf instructor. After a quick stop in Bend, Ore., as an
instructor at a local course, Grove settled in Phoenix, Ariz.
at the 500 Golf Club where he served as both an instructor
and assistant golf professional.
In 2001, Grove decided to once again take up the game
of golf at the professional level. He began his professional
career on the Arizona Professional Tour prior to dabbling
on the DP Tour in Atlanta, Ga.
Grove decided to take his game to the international level
in 2002 when he traveled to South Africa to compete on
the Sunshine Tour. He spent one year on the Sunshine
Tour before returning to the United States to compete on
the Grey Goose Gateway Tour. Grove competed on this
tour for four years prior to accepting the assistant coaching
post at Kansas.

2011-12 Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf Guide

47

Assistant Coach Brian McCants
Brian McCants joined the Kansas men’s golf program as an assistant coach on Sept. 21,
2011, after six successful seasons as the head men’s golf coach at Newberry College where he
led the Wolves to three South Atlantic Conference Championships and claimed the South
Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honor four-straight years. Among other duties,
McCants helps organize and run practices, recruits as well as monitors and updates the
recruiting database for the Kansas men’s golf team.

The McCants File
Full Name
Brian McCants

Born
Bennettsville, S.C.

Education
Ferris State
B.S., business management, 1994

Coaching Experience
2001-02
Head Coach
St. Andrews Presbyterian College
2004-05
Assistant Coach
Newberry College
2005-11
Head Coach
Newberry College
2011-present
Assistant Coach
University of Kansas

Playing Experience
1989-91
Louisburg College

48

Prior to KU, McCants spent seven years on the men’s golf coaching staff at Newberry
College in Newberry, S.C., serving as the head coach for the final six. During that time,
McCants guided Newberry to the NCAA Division II National Championship quarterfinals
in 2011, making Newberry the first South Atlantic Conference team in history to qualify
for the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championship twice after it also made it
in 2008.
McCants earned the South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year Award four years running
from 2008-11 before leaving to take his current position at KU. He also coached the first
South Atlantic Conference Golfer of the Year in program history in 2011 and three-straight
SAC Freshman of the Year winners from 2008 to 2010. Prior to Newberry, McCants was
the head men’s golf coach at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C.
“Brian brings almost a decade of experience as a head coach to the program,” said Kansas men’s
golf head coach Kit Grove at the time of McCants’ hiring. “During his tenure at Newberry,
he improved his team scoring average by 23 shots (from 315 to 292). That tells me that he
is not only an aggressive recruiter, but a hands-on coach as well. He came very prepared
to the interview. He knew quite a bit about KU and its history and was very enthusiastic.
We look forward to having
him become a part of the
KU family.”
McCants earned a Bachelor
of Science in business
management in 1994 from
Ferris State University
in Big Rapids, Mich. He
is married to the former
Lauren Ressler, who was a
three-year captain on Yale’s
golf team and graduated
from the university in 2006.

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

Athletics Director Dr. Sheahon Zenger
Dr. Sheahon (SHAY-un) Zenger is a coach at heart. But when KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little
introduced the Hays, Kan., native as KU’s Athletics Director January 3, 2011, he promised not to call any
plays for the coaches. That doesn’t mean, though, that he won’t be right there with them - and their studentathletes - every step of the way. For it’s his genuine care for coaches and student-athletes that has stamped
his career in intercollegiate athletics.
Zenger comes to KU after serving for five years as athletics director at Illinois State University, helping steer
ISU Athletics to a place of prominence in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Redbirds won a conferenceleading seven league titles during the 2009-10 season and captured their second Valley All-Sports Trophy
in three years.
ISU’s Weisbecker Scholarship Fund membership grew 65 percent during his tenure, and capital projects boomed. The Illinois State Baseball Stadium
at Duffy Bass Field was officially dedicated in May 2009 to culminate the completion of that $3.5 million project. In addition, funding for the
Redbird Arena locker room improvements has also been secured.
With experience as an educator, coach, fundraiser and administrator, Zenger brought a plan to Illinois State, and with the help of the head coaches
and administrative staff, personalized that strategic plan for Redbird Athletics. As a result, the athletics department saw record-high grade-point
averages (GPA) in each of the last four years, including a best-ever department-wide 3.13 GPA in fall 2009. Redbird student-athletes now regularly
carry a GPA of 3.0 or better. ISU student-athletes have also contributed more than 2,000 hours of community service in each of the last five years,
including 3,500 hours during the 2009-10 athletic season.
In addition to Valley All-Sports titles in 2008 and 2010, in his last three years at ISU Zenger led the department to 16 top-five finishes in its 17 Valley
sports - the highest percentage of top-five finishers in league history.
Zenger secured a five-year apparel contract for Redbird Athletics, and significantly increased the marketing of the program in the Central Illinois
region, most notably with a campaign centered on the award-winning marketing campaign “Spread the Red.” He also witnessed record-setting
attendance figures in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, while seeing 17 Redbird teams advance to postseason play.
At the beginning, Zenger wasn’t headed toward a career in administration. He was nine years old when he told his father he wanted to be a coach,
and it didn’t take long for that dream to materialize. After playing football at Fort Hays State and Mid-American Nazarene College, he finished his
undergraduate degree at Kansas State. Even before he received his bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education in 1988, Zenger was assisting
the football coaches at Manhattan (Kan.) High School. His first college football coaching job came at Drake University right after graduation.
In 1989, at age 23, Zenger joined Bill Snyder’s staff at Kansas State as one of the nation’s youngest full-time football staff members; he served
in key roles as assistant recruiting coordinator and director of football operations. Zenger completed his master’s degree in journalism and mass
communication in 1992 while helping Snyder bring Wildcat football to unprecedented success.
It became evident, though, that more than coaching was in store for Zenger. He sought advice from then-KU Chancellor Gene Budig, who convinced
him to pursue a Ph.D. at KU. As he completed his Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership (1996), Zenger contributed communications and
special projects support to the office of the executive vice-chancellor, Ed Meyen, and wrote the professional life history of then-chancellor Del
Shankel, while strengthening his understanding of university leadership at the highest levels.
While focusing his attention on academics, he managed to stay involved in the world of intercollegiate athletics, and specifically football. ‘Involved’
may be an understatement. In 1993 Zenger and a friend founded American Football Quarterly, a magazine for coaches. Zenger served as publisher
- and then editor - until 1995, when he sold his share of the by-then thriving magazine.
Still, coaching stayed in his blood. After earning his doctorate, Zenger in 1996 signed on as the recruiting coordinator for the brand-new NCAA
Division I football program at the University of South Florida. A year later he joined the University of Wyoming football staff as recruiting coordinator
and within two years rose to assistant head coach, a position he still considers one of the crowning achievements of his career.
Zenger stayed at Wyoming through the 2000 season before returning to Kansas State. He spent a year in the KSU College of Business, raising more
than $2 million and restructuring its development program with research and planning. He rejoined KSU Athletics in 2001 as Assistant Athletics
Director for Major Gifts, helping KSU initiate important development strategies. In 2002 he was appointed KSU’s Associate Athletics Director for
Development, a position he held until 2005, when he was named Athletics Director at Illinois State.
A published author and researcher, Zenger served for three years on the NCAA Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement. He also
served on two NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Division committees, and was a member of the Executive Committee
of NACDA’s Division I FCS Athletic Directors Association.
He is also a member of many professional and university organizations, including the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
(NACDA), the Association for the Study of Higher Education and the American Football Coaches Association.
Zenger is married to the former Pam McAnarney. The couple has three children: Luke (14), Abby (12) and Jake (10).

2011-12 Men’s Golf Guide

49

Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little
A highly regarded scholar, teacher and university leader, Bernadette Gray-Little began her tenure
as the 17th chancellor of the University of Kansas on August 15, 2009. As KU chancellor,
Gray-Little is the chief executive officer of the university, overseeing campuses in Lawrence,
Kansas City, Overland Park and Wichita in addition to research and educational centers in
Topeka, Hutchinson, Parsons and elsewhere in the state. She succeeds Robert Hemenway, who
served as KU chancellor for 14 years.
Chancellor Gray-Little previously was executive vice chancellor and provost from 2006 to
2009 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A professor of psychology, Gray-Little
rose to the post of UNC’s chief academic officer after successive administrative appointments,
including dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, executive associate provost, senior associate dean for undergraduate education
for the college, and chair of the Department of Psychology. In these roles, she earned a reputation as a superb fundraiser, a
relationship builder, a strong advocate for faculty and for research,
and a champion for the highest quality educational experience for
students.
A native of eastern North Carolina, Gray-Little received her
bachelor’s degree from Marywood College in Scranton, Pa., and
her master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology from St. Louis
University. Her postdoctoral research in cross-cultural psychology
was funded by a fellowship from the Fulbright Foundation for
study in Denmark. She has also been a Social Science Research
Council Fellow and a recipient of a Ford Foundation Senior
Scholar Fellowship through the National Research Council.
Her research falls primarily into three areas, two of which reflect
a continuing interest in the relation of social and cultural factors
to personality and psychopathology. First, she has studied the relevance of the client and clinician’s ethnic/racial membership
to the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorder. The second area concerns the social determinants of self-esteem and
is manifest in research on factors associated with selfesteem in children and adolescents of varied ethnic
groups. In a third area of research she has explored the
association of relationship satisfaction to the decisionmaking and influence strategies used by couples in
intimate relationships.
Gray-Little is married to Shade Keys Little, who was
assistant dean for academic support services at UNC.
They have two adult children and one grandchild.